Neruda, you neverknew a thing
you didn’t like.Dutiful diviner of
unsettle sorrowshaped as a guitar.
Childlike, youcharmed us, cataloging
joy in this or thathumble gem; ever
weighing our wantsfinding them wanting.
O wooer of wonderwhat should we do?
Teach us,the terrible materialists
to answer life’sappetites with awe.
For nothing is simplynominal. No,
a cache for loveis kept in common things.

“In No Blues This Raucous Song the language is as fresh and succulent as a cut pear. Wagner’s work is full of joy. It is also full of soulfulness and sorrow, but these are packed into lines of such delicacy and tautness that even woe sings like a plucked string. As I was reading, I realized that I was in the presence of a small classic.”
—Lynn Emanuel

“Lynn Wagner’s poems deftly honor our unruly impulses. She has a marvelous ear for rhythmic urgencies of the American tongue and a wicked wit. No word goes unnoticed on her shrewd yet passionate watch.”
—Baron Wormser.

ABOUT

Joseph Hutchison, Colorado Poet Laureate 2014-2018, has published 17 books, including a translation of flash fictions by Mexican author Miguel Lupián, and co-edited two anthologies. He lives in the mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado, the city where he was born. He teaches at the University of Denver's University College, where he currently directs two programs: Arts & Culture and Global Affairs.